David (fictionally) wrote Samuel about how he would avoid self-deception. But from the actual words of prayers in his Psalms, we have reason to believe that he practiced self-examination back in the days.
Psalm 139:1–4..23-24 (NLT)
1O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
4You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord…
23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Dear Father in the Faith, Samuel,
Your words, like a shaft of divine light, have pierced the shadowed recesses of my soul, revealing hidden chambers I dared not enter. The royal court, a maze of intrigue and veiled intentions, becomes navigable only by the luminescence of your wisdom. Even King Saul, the man I serve, wanders these corridors lost, his mind a labyrinth unto itself, no longer recognizing faces, not even mine, as if a veil obscures his vision [1].
The snare of self-deception you so eloquently described has gripped my attention. The signs you’ve outlined—shifting blame, compensating through rituals, and minimizing one’s own wrongs—are pitfalls I vow to sidestep. Your wisdom has led me to a place of deep contemplation, urging me to consider how I might shield myself from such dangers.
First, I have chosen to embrace a daily ritual of soul-searching. As the sun bids the day farewell, I will seek solitude and invite the Holy Spirit to guide me in a review of the day’s unfolding. I will lay bare my actions before God, seeking His forgiveness for any missteps and asking for His wisdom to guide my future days. This will be my sanctuary in time, a moment to align my soul with the Divine.
Second, I will open my heart to those who can hold it accountable. In the vulnerability of genuine relationships, I see a bulwark against the isolation and self-deception that often accompany power [2]. My soul yearns for a friendship that transcends the superficial bonds often found in these halls—a friendship rooted in mutual respect, love, and the shared pursuit of God’s will. O, I pray that I will find such a friend for my life journey.
Samuel, as I commit to these practices, a question lingers in my mind: How does one maintain such accountability when standing at the pinnacle of power? Even you, a prophet of God, must grapple with this. I would be honored to hear your thoughts on this matter.
With a heart full of respect and love,
David
Share with your friends, “How often do you review your thoughts and actions before God? Do you have any friends who would hold you accountable at all?“
[1] This explains why Saul couldn’t recognize David in 1 Samuel 17:55-57 after he defeated Goliath
[2] Proverbs 27:17 speaks to the importance of iron sharpening iron, which can be seen as a form of accountability. James 5:16 also encourages confessing sins to one another. Being part of a spiritual community can offer opportunities for others to act as mirrors, reflecting back to you your own state. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
What a powerful message and a great reminder in today’s reading. I’m so grateful for this amazing relationship I have with my God, kids, family, friends who I call my family, my boss. My son, sister, Virginia, Jenney and many of my friends that I’m am Blessed with will definitely hold me accountable. I’m human I fall short all the time because I’m not perfect. As long I walk with God at times I’m wrong, I will try to identify it and if I’m unsure I have people I love and care about that will tell me like it is. If I’m wrong today because I’m not perfect I’m will admit and I will do an inventory of myself, pray about it. I will apologize and repent as I need to. I’m so overwhelmed with peace, freedom, and joy this morning I can’t even explain it. I’ve been praying really hard lately and praising God for my life today. This morning I woke up open this morning medication from the sobriety program and he answered me. I broke down in tears of joy. Thank you God for loving me and reminding me that I no longer live in the dark today🙏🏻🥹💕
I do tend to think and reflect on my words and actions. I can be more intentional and pray over them. I find that once I share them with God, He helps me to renew my mind and heart and helps me to see more of the truth in the situation. I find that I have more peace about it once I have lifted it up to Him. Charles is another person with whom I share things. He helps me to process my thoughts and feelings, encourages me to do the right thing, and prays with me. Having someone to talk to, hold us accountable, and support us is important to our personal faith journey.
(from Vincent)
I, too, strive to reflect my actions daily before God like Don. I find myself, more often than not, reflecting with God after I have committed a sin. I do reflect on my actions daily, but I feel that it is not the same as reflecting before God. As for the second part, I do have friends who hold me accountable. My fiancé helps me persevere through many hardships and helps me in bringing truth to myself! I hope to grow my accountability partners and remain on the path to truth. Lets all stay sober together.
From me today
This is a tough one. Self examination and introspection is good but if we are prone to self delusion, we can also delude our self while introspecting.
Be in a community and having a faith partner to hold us accountable is good but how do are we sure the one holding us accountable is also accountable. It’s like the blind leading the blind. The kettle calling the pot black. Who’s the wiser?
AA has sponsors who went before and who can counsel the one following because they have proven to be able to resist the temptations and can recognize the signs. How do we find the recovering sinner to be our sponsor? Who is more sober(less sinful) to counsel?
“If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.” (Gala 6:3-4)
Rely on the Lord, pray for His guidance as He’s the only sinless being who can lead us, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (psalm 139:23-24)
I pray Father that You test me and judge me and I ask You to let me to realize my faults and I rely on You to help me be pleasing to You as I’m nothing without Your guidance.
Realistically, I have not done the first practice at all. Sitting down at the end of my day and reflecting with the Holy Spirit in order to adjust my attitude, thoughts, and actions that may not align with God. However, this is a practice I now want to implement in order to draw closer to You Lord. To slowly align myself with You. More of You, less of me. I do have friends that I do accountability with and I am grateful that I am able to have these groups of brothers to share my thoughts as well as people to realign me with You Lord. I pray to lean on You and strength to consistently implement the first practice. In addition, for guidance and clarity for the accountability group for the direction You want us to go and to help it flourish with more of You. Thank you for today’s reading Lord.
-John
I may not be able to say how often I review my thoughts and actions. However, when I do review my thoughts and actions, it is when my family in the U.S. are doing good things. Seeing and feelin their good things gives me an opportunity to reexamine my thoughts and actions to see if I am thinking and acting correctly. I have a friend who keeps me accountable. I live with her and I care about her. She will support me and I will do my best to support her.
I often review my thoughts and actions before God. I reflect on what I say and do, and I always try to glorify God through my words and actions. It’s not always easy, as I have my shortcomings and therefore need to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. I used to have an accountability group with a couple of friends, and unfortunately we haven’t talked together as a group for a while now. I hope and pray that we can start it up again.
Ciara: I don’t usually review my thoughts and actions before God but some ways I can start would be writing them down and share them with God, ask myself why I thought of that or why I did that, or I could talk to someone about it. If I do something wrong, I won’t attack myself, instead i’ll tell myself that no one is perfect. I will confess to God what I did wrong and apologize as much as I would need to. I know that God will help me to understand my thoughts and feelings, motivate me to do the right thing, and he‘ll pray with me. I know I have my family and friends from Cru that can help keep me accountable.
I am constantly checking on my thoughts and actions before God. I would reflect a lot and realize that my self deception is not great sometimes. I would pray so God would keep me in check and shining light down the path I am suppose to take. There are many time where I felt God wanted to do this or do that and I am grateful for him. In the end it always turned out better than before. I don’t have friends who hold me accountable because I don’t really express my inter thoughts or open up to anyone. I should try to open up more and trust the community I was given by God to help me grow and hold me accountable for things.